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dating scene
So you’ve been dating steadily and you want to give anniversary gifts, yet you aren’t sure what would be appropriate. It makes sense that you are a little confused. First, when you are dating, you may not feel comfortable giving gifts that are appropriate for married couples, yet you still want to express your feelings of love, so what should you do? Well, here are some ideas that can help you find the perfect anniversary gift whether you have been dating for one month or several years.
A good rule of thumb is to make the anniversary gift as special and romantic as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to think back to when you first met and base the gift on something that pertains to your first encounter together. When choosing an anniversary gift based upon your specific relationship, consider the place of your first meeting, where you shared your first kiss, what activity you participated in on your first date and choose a gift that is related to one of these events.
For example, if you visited a movie together, then you could give anything that was related to that movie or even a movie script. You could also create a photo scrapbook that includes pictures of your relationship together from the beginning. This is a nice sentimental gift that is rather inexpensive as well.
It is a good idea to follow the basic anniversary gift guidelines whether you are celebrating one month or one year of dating with items that are from the wedding anniversary gift. Though it is rare to date exclusively past ten years without being married, it does occur. Here are the traditional gift items associated with each anniversary:
1st Anniversary - Paper
2nd Anniversary - Cotton
3rd Anniversary - Leather
4th Anniversary - Flowers
5th Anniversary - Wood
6th Anniversary - Iron
7th Anniversary - Wool or Copper
8th Anniversary - Bronze
9th Anniversary - Pottery or China
10th Anniversary - Tin or Aluminum
11th Anniversary - Steel
12th Anniversary - Silk
13th Anniversary - Lace
14th Anniversary - Ivory
15th Anniversary - Crystal
This list has also been modernized to include new materials. You can choose whether to pick gifts from the traditional or the modern list. Here is the modern anniversary gift list:
1st Anniversary - Clocks
2nd Anniversary - China
3rd Anniversary - Crystal or Glass
4th Anniversary - Applicances
5th Anniversary - Silverware
6th Anniversary - Wood
7th Anniversary - Desk Sets
8th Anniversary - Linens or Lace
9th Anniversary - Leather
10th Anniversary - Diamond Jewelry
11th Anniversary - Fashion Jewelry
12th Anniversary - Pearls
13th Anniversary - Textiles
14th Anniversary - Gold Jewlery
15th Anniversary - Watches
With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can choose the best anniversary gift from either the traditional or modern list that is appropriate for your particular relationship. There are also a number of flowers that are associated with each anniversary and these also make wonderful additions to your gift giving. Here are the flowers
appropriate for each anniversary:
1st Anniversary - Orange Blossoms or Pansies
2nd Anniversary - Cosmos
3rd Anniversary - Fuchsia
4th Anniversary - Geranium
5th Anniversary - Daisy
6th Anniversary - Calla Lilly
7th Anniversary - Jack-In-The-Pulpit
8th Anniversary - Clematis
9th Anniversary - Poppy
10th Anniversary - Daffodil
11th Anniversary - Morning Glory
12th Anniversary - Peony
13th Anniversary - Hollyhock
14th Anniversary - Dahlia
15th Anniversary - Rose
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(On February 3rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm)
i have been looking for htis list thanks so much for having it.
(On June 7th, 2008 at 2:24 pm)
this was very helpful. however, we are having the issue about who should actually plan the events for the night of the anniversary. please give some advice on this issue.
(On June 8th, 2008 at 7:23 pm)
my boyfriend and i have our one year anniversary coming up on july 10th. i asked him what he wanted to do, maybe have dinner? and he said he wanted to do something a little more romantic… but what?! lol i don't know what to do… any ideas?
(On June 8th, 2008 at 7:31 pm)
Hey Lindsey,
Are you going to be taking control of the planning for the anniversary or will he? Let me know where you guys live and the budget you're looking at…I'll try to come up with some ideas for ya.
(On June 19th, 2008 at 6:52 am)
My boyfriend and I have our 4 yr. anniversary coming in 6 weeks, I have no idea of what to do. Does anyone have any ideas?
(On June 20th, 2008 at 11:33 am)
Hey Angie,
Check out the question I asked right above your comment. Let me know where you live and what your budget is like.
(On July 22nd, 2008 at 12:07 pm)
I am in a relationship and need to know if we should be celebrating 6 months or a year or what? We have been dating 3 months.
(On July 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm)
Hey Matt,
There really is no set milestones when it comes to celebrating your anniversary. Some of the women I've dated couldn't care less (as long as you remembered the annual one) while others wanted to celebrate it monthly. While I feel that the later is a bit excessive, a 6 month anniversary is sounds pretty reasonable.
Has she hinted anything about it? If not, a simple card will go a long way and you don't have to make an event out of it.
(On July 25th, 2008 at 10:07 am)
Hi Ron,
My sweetie and I are about to celebrate our 1-year anniversary (we are in our middle years - 40s). He is very romantic so I've tried to do a few sweet things for him. I have themed my gifts by "heart", "mind", "body" and "soul". And we plan to revisit the same activity where we enjoyed our very first date. My question: Our first date was on the first Friday of August - should we stick with the actual numeric date (i.e. August 3), or the "concept" (i.e. First Friday in August)??
Thanks!
(On August 5th, 2008 at 5:05 pm)
Hi my boyfriend and I have been dating for a year with our anniversary coming-up. I'm not sure what to get him so I was hoping you could help me. We originally met at a Phillies game last year. I already bought tickets for the game but I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advise would be great!